Burgettstown Area School District

It was a productive week in Blue Devil Country! Please scroll down to learn more.

Monday marked the unofficial end of the school year, as it was the last day for teachers and many others for the 2020-2021 school year. While administrators, some secretaries, the custodians, and the maintenance staff work all summer, the school year is over. We want to thank you all, our readers (parents, guardians, students, other family members, community members, friends of the school district and all others who make Burgettstown such a wonderful place) for all that you did to help ensure this school year was a success. The Covid-19 pandemic certainly created a lot of challenges and these challenges continue. The Pandemic also created many opportunities. There is a lot of pride in our community and in our schools, and this pride is reflected in the person of every student in the school district. This issue of the weekly update will be the last weekly update until close to the start of the new school year. We may push out other announcements throughout the summer, so please continue to monitor social media and the school accounts (e-mail, Alma, etc.) as we prepare for the best year yet, 2021-2022! A happy and safe summer to you all!

We showed our appreciation for all of our teachers and staff by hosting a picnic lunch for everyone this past Monday. A special thank you goes out to Food Service Director Paul Kerr and his staff, Aramark food service division, Mr. Keith Mason and the maintenance/custodial staff, and the administrative team for all the work that went into making the picnic a success. We wish all of our employees a relaxing, safe, and healthy summer. It was a long year, and we are grateful to the employees of BASD for their grit as they worked together to help our students succeed. Throughout this update are some pictures from the picnic.

The Food Service Department would like to inform you that the meal service program will continue through the summer with one minor change: There will only be one pick up location, at the high school, EVERY WEDNESDAY from 4 PM - 6 PM. You will have to continue to complete the form every week the same as you did throughout the school year to request meal service. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mr. Paul Kerr, Food Service Director.

The school year may be over, but the school district will still be filled with activity. Below is just a sample of the many things occurring on campus over the months of June, July, and August:

• Student athletes continue with their off-season workouts, and fall sports athletes enter pre-season activities
• Some of our special education students continue to receive services in the form of Extended School Year, which consists of teaching and learning sessions staffed by our teachers and staff
• The transportation department prepares the fleet of busses for inspection and other things as they prepare to safely transport our students in the new school year
• The food service department prepares and distributes meals for the summer feeding program
• Our shipping and receiving area begins to receive and distribute all of the supplies and other materials needed for the new school year
• The school board continues their voluntary service to the school district and the community. School Board meetings are held in the summer months. The guidance and governance of the members is constant and continues behind the scenes
• The administration and guidance departments of the two schools prepare the master schedules, teaching assignments, and rostering for every student
• The business office closes out the finances on the old school year and prepares and opens the new fiscal year. A school year, from a financial perspective, operates from July 1-June 30 each year
• Our curriculum department continues to review and revise all things academic so we can provide the best possible learning opportunities for our students
• A variety of end-of-year reports are prepared and submitted to the Department of Education, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the federal government
• Our custodial staff thoroughly clean the school buildings so that the students, faculty, and staff return to a bright and shiny environment when they return for the new year
• Teachers continue their work throughout the summer. Some come on site and participate in professional development opportunities, some take classes at colleges and universities, and still others begin their planning for the new year. Good teaching is a twelve month endeavor!
• The administrative leadership team meet continuously and work collaboratively on a variety of projects and initiatives, both ongoing and new
• The maintenance staff install, repair, replace and generally work to make sure the property throughout the school district is in the best condition possible
• The secretaries work on A LOT of items in closing out the old school year and preparing for the new school year
• Members of our leadership team work on writing grants so that we can provide additional opportunities for our students without additional cost to the taxpayers
• The administrative team interviews prospective employees when needed
• The technology department, which is more important than ever as this Pandemic has demonstrated, continually works on hardware and software so that we can remain on the cutting edge of technology

The items above are just a sampling of the many things that occur during the summer months. If you are on campus this summer, feel free to stop in and chat. It will give us a chance to set aside whatever it is we are working on and connect with you.